Kipp Madison – Evans Native To Compete In Drive, Chip And Putt National Finals
The 2024 Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals is an event that helps kick off Masters Week in the Augusta area. The event happens on Sunday, April 7th this year, the day before practice rounds begin at the Augusta National. And this year, Kipp Madison from Evans, Georgia will be competing in this beloved event.
Kipp Madison will compete in the Boys 12-13 division of Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals. But he isn’t the first in his family. Just 2 years ago, Kipp’s older brother, Zane, competed. The love of golf for these two brothers is strong, with Kipp picking up the game at just 22 months old.
Kipp is now in seventh grade. And when it comes to playing golf, he’s looking forward to playing on his favorite course in the world: the Augusta National.
I had a chance to chat with Kipp Madison about his love of the game, his background, and his hopes for the future.
Here’s My Interview With Kipp Madison:
Cody: Hi, Kipp, thanks so much for taking some time to chat with me today! So let’s start with school… You’re homeschooled, right
Kipp: Yes, ma’am.
Cody: Have you been home-schooled like your entire life or did you go to a public school
Kipp: I’ve been home-schooled for three years and next year I’m going to a hybrid school that goes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and stays home Tuesday and Thursday. So I can still be at the house and still play golf.
Cody: Awesome. So you’re gonna be competing in the 2024 Drive, Chip And Putt. I know your brother did it, what two years ago?
Kipp: I think two or three. Yes, ma’am. Two years ago.
Cody: OK, so I saw that you started golfing when you were like 22 months old. Is that right? 22 months old?
Kipp: Yes, ma’am.
Cody: So how did that start?
Kipp: So really I just picked up some sticks and hit the pine cones around the park. Then my dad got me a set of little plastic clubs with the plastic golf balls and I just hit those all around the house. And then we lived right by a park, so I would just go to the park and hit ’em around. And that’s really how I started.
Cody: So was your brother already playing golf when you started playing?
Kipp: So my brother’s actually younger than me. So he didn’t. So he would just watch me play and he would take the plastic golf clubs from me and just hit ’em too. So, and he saw that I was left-handed. So he just hit it left-handed too, and we really started like that. Me and my brother.
Cody: That’s awesome. So what part of Drive, Chip and Putt are you looking forward to the most?
Kipp: So I’m looking forward to being where all the pros have been. I’m just looking forward to being there and I’m really looking forward to going down Magnolia Lane. I’ve gone down it once with my brother because he made it so this will be my second time and then I’m also looking forward to meeting Doctor Condoleezza Rice.
Cody: OK, cool. So if you had to pick who is your favorite golfer, like the person you look up to?
Kipp: So my favorite golfer is Justin Thomas. He’s just he’s really good and he keeps a good temper on the golf course, which is really hard for a lot of people and I love that he’s super likable and he’s always looking out for people. Like at East Lake, I was there and he was just signing autographs for everybody. Super kind. And I just love that about him.
Cody: Yeah. So, who got you guys started with golf? Like, did your dad play golf?
Kipp: So my dad did play golf, but he didn’t start until he was about 17. So he picked it up late and then he didn’t really.
He got me started, but again I was just hitting the pine cones with the sticks and then he bought me my first set of metal golf clubs like real golf clubs, and then we went on to the course, but he introduced me to it for the most part.
Cody: I gotcha. So how do you balance school with golf? I mean, I know your homeschooled. So like what does that look like for you? Are you playing golf every day?
Kipp: I’m trying to play golf everyday, right after this I’m going to join my friends on a hole right after. So I have classes every day except for Fridays. Right after that I get my school work done. Sometimes I do it before so I can get out there as early as possible, but normally I’ll do my classes, get my work done, and then I’ll go play with my friends. There’s so many junior golfers up at the club at Westlake Country Club, that’s where I play and I played with people who were six years old and 90 years old.
So it’s always just when I get up there. Alright, who am I gonna play with today? So it’s really just whoever’s up there. I really just play with people like that and that’s what a normal day looks like for me.
Cody: And you are how old?
Kipp: I’m 13 years old. I just turned 13 December 21st.
Cody: OK, so where do you see yourself when it comes to golf, let’s say 10 years from now?
Kipp: I want to see myself trying to get on the PGA Tour. I wanna get on a mini tour or the Korn Ferry Tour, which is where you go. To qualify, I wanna see myself there.
Cody: And when you’re not playing golf, like, what are your other hobbies?
Kipp: So I ride a unicycle. I play tennis, basketball, and I ride motocross so I do a lot of things other than golf. If I’m not playing golf, there’s either someone at my house and we’re playing basketball or flag football or whiffleball. There’s always someone over at my house, so I really just, I do a lot of things, but probably for the most part just playing tennis or basketball at my house with my friends.
Cody:That’s awesome. You stay very, very active, which is good.
Kipp: Yes, ma’am.
Cody: So are you originally from Evans?
Kipp: Yes, ma’am. I’ve always been here.
Cody: Well, if you had to give somebody advice on pursuing something, anything, they were passionate about, what would your advice be?
Kipp: Probably just stay focused and don’t lose sight of the goal, because if you get, if you stop staying focused and you stop believing in yourself, then it’s really hard to reach your goals. So that’s probably what I would say.
Cody: I love it. Well, thank you so much for taking time today. I don’t really have any other questions.
Is there anything new wanna share or anything I might have left out?
Kipp: One more thing… I also, I’m pretty active in the church. I’m a Christian, so we stay pretty active there and we really love to donate to the Louis Goldman Golf Gala. That’s where we like, donate and stuff. We also donate to the Folds of Honor, so we we try to stay pretty active in donating and with charities.
Cody: I love that. I love when you can, when you can do what you love, but do it for a good cause. That’s always a good thing.
Kipp: Yes, ma’am.
Cody: Awesome. Well, thank you so much Kipp. I enjoyed talking to you and best of luck with Drive, Chip and Putt this year.
Kipp: Yes, ma’am. Thank you.
You’ll be able to see Kipp Madison during the 2024 Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals which will broadcast live on the Golf Channel on Sunday, April 7. And we’ll have all of our 2024 Masters Coverage online for you here during the tournament!
Photos – Qualifying For Drive, Chip And Putt
Not only was Kipp Madison extremely polite and well-spoken, he seems to be quite the extrovert who likes to have fun! Just check out this fun video…
